1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to data cards and, more particularly, to a multi-application data card capable of substituting for a plurality of existing single-application data cards and to a system and method of employing the card.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The generic term "data card" includes not only all kinds of financial cards but also various other cards that contain non-financial data. The term "financial card" includes credit cards, debit cards, A.T.M. cards and other cards that contain financial data. From another standpoint, data cards include, to cite only a few examples, oil company cards, department store cards, car rental cards, hotel cards and airline cards.
Data cards are now ubiquitous; their use has proliferated to such an extent that users of the cards find it objectionable and burdensome to carry all that seem to be required if one is to function in modern society.
Attempts have been made in the past to remedy the problem of card proliferation. For example, certain issuers of "general-purpose" credit cards (e.g., American Express, Visa, Master Charge) have prevailed upon many establishments, including those such as department stores, oil companies, airlines and car rental companies that issue their own credit cards, to accept the general-purpose credit card in addition to the card separately issued by the department store, oil company, etc. Also, there are co-branded cards. Even so, there is no single credit card that is universally accepted, and it is not foreseeable that any single issuer of credit cards, such as American Express, Visa, Master Charge, etc., is ever likely to become totally dominant or universally accepted.
Moreover, there are now available and in general use not only credit cards but also debit cards and various other financial-transaction cards, plus data cards and forms, often not machine-readable, for drivers' licenses, building security, insurance purposes, personal identification, etc.
Within a given data card category, there may be magnetic-stripe cards and so-called "smart" cards. The magnetic-stripe cards, which are in general use, have limited capabilities. The smart cards are not yet in such wide use but show great promise because of their superior capabilities. The two types of cards require different types of readers. Smart cards are in fact of at least two types: those employing electrical contacts and the so-called "contactless" smart cards. The latter are read in an A.T.M. or point-of-sale terminal by means of a field; no electrical contacts are required for reading the card.
There is a great need, which has not heretofore been met, for a substitute, replacement, or consolidation card allowing multiple card issuers to be represented within a single data card and allowing consumers to carry just one card for all types of transactions, including those listed above and others.
There is also a need to enable vendors individually or collectively to award points for frequency use and to track the awards efficiently. The current system of awarding airline bonus mileage, for example, is cumbersome, requiring a passenger to verbally advise a ticket agent of his frequent-flyer number at the time of ticketing and requiring the airline to prepare periodic reports to advise the passenger of the current status of his bonus account.
There is also a need to eliminate the cumbersome and annoying coupon system employed by supermarkets and similar stores. Consumers object to being made to clip coupons, often provided in the store or in newspapers, in order to obtain discounts. It would be very desirable to substitute a system that automatically kept track of purchases and awarded discounts or coupon equivalents automatically depending upon current purchases and/or history of purchases, broken down by brand and in other ways.
Clearly, the promise of the so-called cashless society has been delayed because of the lack of a suitable means for implementing it.